In early November you’ll still find some autumn coloured leaves on trees waiting to be blown off in a gust of wind. Late flowers like Chrysanthemums and Nerines and the odd Rose still provide us with a little colour and winter berries are hanging on until the birds eat them all! Later on in November the onset of winter will become more apparent with low clouds bringing rain and fog and all round dampness. It may not be that cold but winds can make it feel colder and, of course, we’ll start to see more frequent evening frosts.

Tidying up is still high on the gardening agenda this month – with leaves still falling you can gather them up to make leaf mould for next year. Your lawn and most plants will suffer if leaves are not collected as they need all the sunlight they can get to stay healthy – if they’re not moved lying leaves will block out the light and in some cases covered plants will suffer from dieback. Also, clear away old stems and dead foliage to make everywhere look tidier; this also prevents slugs and snails settling it to a new home.